they say you see your whole life like a film when you die
by CharlotteJeanF
Summary: This was made for the Twitter HoN Contest. Kristin, I hope you like it. Love you. Xx It takes part in the second book, "Betrayed", and shows Stevie Rae's death from her POV. :-)


**A/N: Hi People!**

**There are a few things I have to say.**

**First of all, this was made for the September HoN-Contest on Twitter, hosted by the amazing Kristin Cast (author of the books, go follow her Twitter: ChickenFrances). I am trying to participate with a few things, so here's my second try: a shortstory / fanfiction about my favorite character of all time, Stevie Rae Johnson!**

**Second, I don't own this world. Sadly. All I do own are my imagination and a few writing skills.**

**Third, my first non-Harry-Potter-fic! Yay! Hope you people enjoy it.**

**Fourth, this takes place in the second book of the House Of Night Series, _Betrayed_. So don't you wonder :-)**

**Fifth, if you haven't read the books yet, I'm judging you! They're seriously amazing and you should go buy them, like RIGHT NOW.**

**Sixth, this scene means so much to me. I absolutely love Stevie Rae, and when she died I cried for a long, long time. I still do when I re-read the scene, to be honest.**

**Seventh, I don't wanna spoil you! Sorry if I did. **

**Eighth, now go and enjoy this ficlet of mine! (Especially you, Kristin. I hope you like it AND consider it for the contest! Love you lots!)**

**Cheers,**

**Charlotte**

**Xx**

**they say you see your whole life like a film when you die **

Stevie Rae Johnson was cold. The moment when she started to cough and spit blood all over her new, black dress and the block of cement she'd just pressed her palms in seconds ago was the moment she'd gone cold. So terribly cold, as if there was ice water pulsing through her veins instead of blood or as if here heart had just been turned into an ice block.

She was so frozen and terrified from the cold that she didn't notice much else, except for the pain and the paralyzed feeling of shock when she realized she had to die.

Even when she said it out loud, it didn't feel real to her. The only thing that felt real was the fear, blossoming like a black flower in her chest, rising quickly.

Damien gave Zoey the candle she'd held only minutes ago, and suddenly she felt very light. Earth was there. Zoey was there. She was there. She was leaving, but she hadn't left yet. She was still there. Still alive. Still breathing.

She didn't care when she and Zoey were lifted onto a stretcher and brought out of the rec hall. They could take her whereever they wanted to – her ghost was with the earth, and her heart was with her friends. That was all that mattered.

Stevie Rae closed her eyes, feeling the fat, puffy snowflakes settling and melting on her skin softly. She heard sobbing, but couldn't tell if it was her own or someone else's.

She tried to shut the world out of her mind, but Zoey wouldn't let her. She was violently crying, telling her constantly that everything was going to be alright.

Stevie Rae didn't doubt that, though. She was pretty sure that everything was going to be alright, just not in this life. In this life she was going to die and her friends would be sad about that for a long time and they'd constantly miss her and Stevie Rae couldn't help but think that in that very moment, she didn't care. She just felt light and sweet and _good _and she knew the goddess was with her and that was the only thing that mattered.

She was not afraid of dieing, though. There were other things to be scared of, much worse than death – death was peaceful, or at least was that what she believed in. And believing in something helped and made things more true, didn't it?

Stevie Rae dared to open her eyes, only to find Zoey looking at her with a face that desperate, it just broke Stevie Rae's heart. She couldn't stand seeing her best friend upset.

„Zo..." she tried to speak, but then waves of pain were crashing onto her and she started to cough again, so roughly she nearly expected her brain to come out of her ears. And then she turned a little bit and watched the blood splatter, leaving a dark red mark in the white, innocent snow. It was beautiful, in a strange way Stevie Rae didn't fully understand. She liked the way death and destruction met innocence and freshness.

Suddenly, Zoey let out a sob that hard she sent a shudder through Stevie Rae's whole body, and Stevie Rae felt the urge to say something to make things less bad, but she just couldn't. Her voice catched in her throat and her teeth were chattering and she was shaking while sweat formed on her brow because damn, on the outside she was as cold as a long night at the North Pole but on the inside she felt like she'd been set on fire. Every breath hurt and then her vision started to blur.

Stevie Rae was somehow glad when they finally entered the infirmary and were lifted onto a bed, Zoey holding on to her and Damien crawling up beside her. He still held the burning green candle, and Stevie Rae could smell fresh hay and hear birds sing.

Stevie Rae felt peaceful, and then she collected a few last breaths to talk to her best friends in the world.

When she was finished, everyone was crying except for herself, and she smiled lightly and closed her eyes, waiting for her final breath to be drawn.

In that moment, with Damien and the twins beside her, the earth in her heart and Zoey's arms around her, Stevie Rae remembered what people had been telling her about death since she was born: they said you'd see your whole life in front of your very eyes, rushing by like a short film that you could neither pause nor rewind. But now she found out that that wasn't true at all. It was not how life worked – or, more accurately, how _death _worked.

Instead of seeing her whole life, she saw all the people she loved. Her parents, siblings, aunties, uncles, cousins, her entire family. Damien. Erin and Shaunee. And Zoey.

Stevie Rae pulled all of her strength together and opened her eyes one final time. She just wanted to see these faces once more. And so she did.

Erin and Shaunee were holding on to each other, crying hard. Damien's eyes were red and swollen and the tears kept falling. Zoey cried just as hard, but tried to smile. And then Stevie Rae's eyes found Neferet, and she'd sworn she could see a weird spark gleaming in her eyes and the hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth. As if she knew what was happening and couldn't wait for it to be done.

But before Stevie Rae could worry about that, another wave of pain went through her body, so suddenly and strong she gasped, and then there was nothing but darkness, the overwhelming cold and the faint disappointment that Stevie Rae didn't see her life like a film in front of her very eyes. And then it was over.


End file.
